| Posted: January 24, 2007 |
Establishing the UK as a leader in micro and nanotechnology metrology |
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(Nanowerk News) Part-funded through the DTI programme for Micro and Nanotechnology (MNT), a number of key organisations in the UK have set up the first UK Centre of Excellence in Metrology and Characterisation specific to MNT - CEMMNT.
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Circuit Board The National Physical Laboratories (NPL) and the Systems Engineering Innovation Centre (SEIC) are in the process of forming a state of the art metrology and systems engineering support network for MNT.
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The Centre of Excellence in Metrology for MNT - CEMMNT- will deliver vital measurement solutions and advice built on the knowledge base of NPL, QinetiQ, Taylor Hobson, the SEIC, Coventor and GE Druck, supported by a coordinated metrology capability that is commercially focused, and openly accessible.
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The vision is to establish the UK as a world leader in MNT metrology creating an active bridge between the UK's world-class National Measurement System - NMS - infrastructure and the rapidly emerging MNT business and science base. CEMMNT will accelerate the development and transfer of knowledge, assure measurement excellence throughout the MNT industrial infrastructure, make a significant and demonstrable commitment to European competitiveness in MNT and stimulate inward investment.
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Clearly, metrology has the potential to reduce the cost of MNT device development and speed up the manufacturing process, thereby reducing the barriers for commercialisation of MNT products. In this context, the centre will bring added value to the MNT community by increasing the performance of devices through improved system characterisation.
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The application of systems engineering and software device modelling will reduce trial and error and make MNT design processes increasingly deterministic. This will in turn enable manufacturers to achieve right-first-time products from the embedded accumulated knowledge.
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